Inner Harbor's high of 96 Wednesday was hottest in the U.S.

Left to right, Courtney Foy and her mother, Kathy Foy, both of Millersville, enjoy ice cream cones and the sights along Main Street in Annapolis amid a burst of heat in April 2013.

Left to right, Courtney Foy and her mother, Kathy Foy, both of Millersville, enjoy ice cream cones and the sights along Main Street in Annapolis amid a burst of heat in April 2013. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)

(The 1922 record, strangely enough, was set just a few blocks from the Inner Harbor at the U.S. Customs House. The point of record moved to BWI when the airport opened in 1950.)

Only one other place in the nation did highs reach 96 degrees -- Port Isabel, Texas, just a few miles north of the Mexican border and inland from South Padre Island.

Other cities to reach the 90s were Brownsville, Texas; Wilmington, Del.; and Washington, D.C., according to a national weather summary posted daily by the weather service telecommunications operation center in Silver Spring. The coldest temperature in the country, meanwhile, was 3 degrees below zero in Lusk, Wyo.

Credit to local meteorologist "Eric the Red" for pointing out the local distinction.

While one more day of temperatures well above normal is in the forecast for Thursday, the warmth could come crashing back down as a strong cold front passes through overnight, Eric writes. Lows are forecast to reach the lower 50s in Baltimore, but Eric suggests some areas could see the 40s as a cold rain moves through.

Cooler temperatures, though still well above normal for this time of year, are forecast in the Baltimore area Thursday, with cloudy skies and highs in the mid-70s, according to the National Weather Service.

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